Vault door



May 28, 1929. .1. A. FELLows VAULT DOOR Filed OCb. 18,' 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 um im 31a/vanto@ c/o/zwl.www@

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ad y@ Sammy@ Patented May 28, 19529.

JOHN A. FELLOWS, F CANTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO DEBOLD 86 LOCK COMPNY, OF CANTON, OHIO, A CORPORATOH'OF (l1-HO.

VAULT noon.

Application filed October 18, 1927. Serial No. 226,394.

rlhe invention relates more particularly to fire and heat retarding doors for vaults for storing records and the like, the contents of which it may be desired to protect from fire and intense heat for a certain period of time.

The door of the present invention associated with an improvedframe and vestibule therefor, cooperate with each other to form a vault closure set forth in a companion application' for United States Letters Patent, led @ctober 18, 1927, Serial No. 226,895, and which may be designed for example to resist and prevent the passage into the vault interior of intense heat and flames for a period 'of one-half hour.

The door of the present invention is however novel in itself and may be used advan` tageously with other types of frames, in place of doors which have heretofore been constructed by the use of heavy plates for the doors, vpon the backs of which the bolt-works have been mounted on structural angles, which plate doors have been found to warp relatively easily and quickly whenvr subject to fire and intense heat.

Doors thus constructed of plates and angles, are moreover relatively heavy, and the ma terial cost of the same is consequently relatively great.

Accordingly, the objects of the present improvements include the provision of a strong rigid fire and heat retarding vault door which shall require a relatively small weight of material for its construction, and which shall be adapted for easy and economical `manufacture and assemblage. y

These and ancillary objects are attained by a construction and arrangement hereinafter set fort-h in detail, and which may be stated in general terms as including an internally reinforced boxdoor, preferably made of sheet met-al or the like, the internal reinforcements preferably being in the form of formed sheet metal braces, which lnot only reinforce the hollow' door, but also provide supporting meansfor the door bolt-work carried thereby in the hollow interior of the door.

The door, thus being vof reinforced box beam construction, resists to a great degree, deflection induced by heat, flame, or fhe'like.

Preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which Figure 1 is a rear view of the improved door detached from a frame, portions of the door,

Fig. 2, a horizontal sectional view thereof back member thereof being broken away to illustrate the interior construction of the as on line 2 2, Fig. l, the door beinghung on a suitable frame; and

Fig. 3, a vertical sectional Yview thereof as on line 3 3, -Fig. l, the door being-hung on theframe illustrated in F ig. 2.

Similar numeralsl refer to throughout the drawings.

The improved hollow box door indicated generally at 1 is hung by suitable'hinges 2 on a frame indicated generally at 3, and the door is provided with bolt-work indicated generally atlfl, carried in the interior ofthe box door, and which may be controlled by a combination lock indicated generally at 5a and operated by a suitable handle 5b. r

The improved hollow box door 1 includes side members 6d and 6b, a top member 6' and abottom member 6d all preferably made ofV formed sheet or stripmetal.

All of the door side, top and bottom members preferablyhave the same Z cross secsimilar parts tion, including, respectively, webs 7a, 7b, 7

and d,'preferably spaced inwardly from the eXtreme outer edges of the door and extend-- ing perpendicular lto the plane of the door front, outwardly extending front flanges 8a, 8b, 8c and 8?, andl inwardly extending rear flanges 9a, 9b, 9y and 9d, the front and rear flanges being preferably parallel with each .other andv with the plane of the door front, A i

and theends of the top., bottom and side members being secured to each other as by weldf ing. v Y

The door front member 104 isV preferably` in the form of a 'steel sheet,.secured at its outer borders as by spot welding to the outwardly extending front flanges 8a, 8"., 8c and Sdof the door side, top and bottom members.

` The back memberl of the door is preferably formed by a steel sheet 11 removably secured as by screws 12 to the inwardlyeXten-ding flanges 9?, 9b, 9? and 9d of the door side and top members.

The side, top, bottom, front and rear members of the door thus form a box, the interior of which encloses the bolt-work Ll, which may be of any usual construction.

The hollow box door thus formed is preferably reinforced by horizontally extending` Z braceslS, 18, and 13, which include respectively flanges 14, 14K, and 14, the outer Vedges of the webs 15,15, and 15, preferably parallel with the flanges 14, 14', and 14".

The flanges 16, 16, and 16 are preferably spaced intermediate the front member 10 and the rear member 11, and provide pivotal supports as at 17, 17', and 17 for the boltwork 4.

of the outwardly extending flange 8a, thereby providing stops for fitting on both sides of a door jamb and preventing removal of the door by removal of the pins of the hinges .2; the bolts 31 of the bolt-work in extended and locked position, cooperating with the flange 81 and a door jamb for the-same purpose. Y y

Vault doors constructed of sheet steel formed andarranged as aforesaid have been found, whensubject 'to intense heat and Haines, to resist warping, particularly in the directions to and from the vault interior; and when associated with suitable frames, have been found to satisfactorily resist the passage into vault interiors of intense heat and flames for the desired period of time.

' Ordinary plate doors for the same purpose require much greater weight of material, and have been found incapable of resisting lthe same heat and flames withoutwarping vfor the same period of time.

For still further increasing the resistance to heat and flames of the improved door 1,

a sheet of asbestos 32 or other non-conductor of heat may be applied upon the inner surface of the door back member 11.

I claim:

1. Ayault box door including side, top, and bottom members, each having a Z crosssection and including a web angular to the plane of the door front, a front flange extending outwardly from the web, and a rear flange extending inwardly from the web, a

2. A vault box door including side, top,

and bottom members, each having a Z crosssection and including a web angular to the plane of the door front, a front flange' extending outwardly from the web, and a rear flange extending inwardly from the web, a front member secured'to the outwardly extending flanges, a bacli member secured to the inwardly extending flanges, and an internal Z brace secured to one of the members. 3. A vault box doorincluding'a side, top, and bottom members, each having a Z crosssection and including a web angular to the plane of the door front, a front flange ex tending outwardly from the web, anda rear flange extending inwardly from the web, a front member secured to the outwardly extending flanges, a back member securedto the inwardly extending flanges, and an internal brace secured to the front member.

A4. A vault box door including side, top, and bottom members, each having a Z crosssection and including a web angular to the plane of the door front, a front flange ex'- -tending outwardly from tlieweb, and a rear flange extending inwardly from the web, a

front member secured to thek outwardly extending flanges, a back member secured to the inwardly extending flanges, and an internal brace secured to the front and side members. f

5.1K. vault box door including side, top, and bottom members, each having a Z crosssection and including a web angular to the plane of the door front, a front flange extending outwardly from the web, and a rear flangeV extending inwardly from the web, a front member secured to the outwardly extending flanges, a backl member secured to theinwardly extending flanges, an internalV braceisecured to one of the members, and a bolt-work supported by the brace.

6. A vault box door including side, top, and bottom members, each having a Z crosssection and including a web angular to the f plane of the door front, a front flange extending outwardly from theweb, and a rear flange extending inwardly from the web, a front member secured to the outwardly extending flanges, a back member secured to the inwardly extending flanges, an internal brace secured to some of the members, and a bolt-work supported by the braces.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

Joinv A. rnLLoWs. 

